Comments Off on Fortress-like house in Portugal hides a surprising light-filled courtyard inside

The fortress-like exterior of this house in Portugal provides no clues about the open, light-filled interior it hides. In order to provide an optimal amount of daylight, without having to compromise privacy in an densely built area, architect António Costa Lima designed a house that looks inwards and toward the sky, enveloping itself in seclusion without sacrificing views of the outdoors. The house is located in Estoril, a small picturesque town on the Portuguese Riviera. Its densely built surroundings, narrow streets and small plots made it difficult for the architect to engage the street-facing facade and create a strong dialogue with its neighbors. In fact, one of the main design obstacles was the blind wall of a neighboring building. Related: This charming home in Portugal is insulated with soil The architect decided to create an inward-looking, undulating building, that wraps around a central courtyard like a blanket. While the exterior walls feature few openings, the openings looking into the courtyard are continuous full-height glazing that draws ample sunlight into the interior and create visual connections throughout the residence. + António Costa Lima Arquitectos Photos by Francisco Nogueira

Comments Off on The Unsung Heroes of Urban Design: How Bike Bollards Protect Pedestrians & Property While Providing Bike Parking

Sometimes the most well-designed and useful objects are the ones you hardly notice at all. Case in point: bike bollards . You’ve probably encountered a bollard at one time or another (they look like heavy, squat posts), but bike bollards are an elevated version of these common structures that perform double duty by protecting buildings and pedestrians from cars while also providing a place for secure bicycle parking. Read on to learn more about these unsung heroes of urban design, and how they better streetscapes in their own quiet but effective way. Read the rest of The Unsung Heroes of Urban Design: How Bike Bollards Protect Pedestrians & Property While Providing Bike Parking Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bike bollard , bike bollards , bike parking , bollards , eco design , green design , Reliance Foundry , sustainable design , Urban design , what is a bike bollard , what is a bollard

Comments Off on Paris Officials Hire Sheep to Mow and Fertilize City Green Space

Last week, four shaggy black sheep were put to work grazing on the grass in front of Paris ‘ municipal archives building. The sheep are being used as a pastoral alternative to gas-guzzling and noisy conventional lawn mowers, and if the trial goes according to plan, they could be employed in other parts of the city. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë’s office has described the project as “eco-grazing,” but the sheep are doing much more than that; they’re also drawing crowds of curious onlookers to the archives. Read the rest of Paris Officials Hire Sheep to Mow and Fertilize City Green Space Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Animals , Bertrand Delanoë , black sheep , cities , eco grazing , environmental policy , ewes , green initiatives , green lawn mowing , lawnmower alternatives , Paris , sheep

All Photos Courtesy of Rita Almeida Portuguese designer Rita Almeida has come up with a clever way to reuse old Wonderbras- upcycling them into purses. Although Almeida doesn’t explain on her web site how she makes the bags, it seems pretty straight-forward, even DIY worthy. The two cups are sewn together to form the bag itself, and a flap is added to keep it closed. The straps become, well, the strap…. Read the full story on TreeHugger